Swivel Stick

the vehicle swivel stick began in the fall of 1993. since then the group evolved from post punk influenced music to free jazz experimental loud progressive rock... traces of the band members remain to be seen........................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ .......................... [description of SWIVEL STICK's Notes Towards A Mental Breakdown from Miami New Times 1997]"....The label's catalogue is impressive enough on its audio merits, but even more impressive is Space Cadette's flair for unique and innovative packaging concepts. Both its compact discs and singles are limited-edition, hand-assembled works of art and tributes to the graphics talents of the brothers Galvez, as well as Space Cadette layout whiz Michello Borgo and designers/artists Naomi Fisher, Manny Prieres, and others.The most staggering is the Swivel Stick CD, Notes Toward a Mental Breakdown. The disc cover -- designed by Prieres and Fisher -- is a piece of folded corrugated cardboard, held together with twine and emblazoned with paint splatters and ink scribbles. A set of cards is enclosed, containing song lyrics, band photos, and oddball illustrations. You also get a nice pressed flower...".................................................. ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................[quick synopsis of Swivel Stick's CD Notes Towards A Mental Breakdown: reprinted by COLD COMFORT ZINE......This is the album that inspired the start of this series, so it will get a more in-depth review than the ones to follow. First of all, let's talk about the city of Miami, FL. Bands rarely stop off there while touring because once you drive all the way down there, you're at a dead end and have to turn around and drive up the whole damn peninsula again, wasting precious fuel and time. So people down there don't get a lot of touring bands to see, which would presumably stunt their musical growth, right? Swivel Stick are from Miami. The sounds on this 73-minute, stunningly packaged (more on that later) CD run the gamut from prime Swans dirges to the controlled fury of Big Black and early Husker Du to late-'80s Sonic Youth soundscapes to Band of Susans guitar air formations, all topped off with segues of free jazz and found-sound collages. In fact, one wonders if Thom Yorke had a copy of this album handy while working on OK Computer, a great album which comes off as mere child's play compared to this one. Singer/bassist Richard Rippe establishes himself as the greatest auteur of pathos since Michael Gira of Swans, and Voltaire way back when. Six-string fanatics should note that each song (not counting the interlude pieces) has between 2 and 5 innovative guitar parts that defeat the notion that all the good riffs have been used up long ago. In fact, many of the riffs are downright stunning. Yes, all this was created by a band isolated down in Miami. In essence, this album is a record collector's wet dream come true, especially for those who are into not necessarily "post-punk," but rather post-post-punk, the more evolved stuff that wasn't afraid to use melody and longer, more ambitious sound structures. In fact, I bought this album based solely on a review in Alternative Press magazine that called it "this year's attempt at recreating Daydream Nation." I can hear you muttering, "Yeah, well, lots of bands do that kind of sprawling, gloomy, kitchen-sink thing. And most of those albums are pretty lame." Yes, I agree. But read on to see why this one is different. For one thing, Rippe is a chameleonic vocalist, with around four different styles ranging from drill sergeant (like Ian Curtis, M. Gira), to soothing whisperer, to all out screams and places in between. I had to keep checking the credits to see if there were other singers in the band. The songs on this album are supposedly inspired by a series of 1963 interviews with psychiatric patients, and the drawings those patients made afterwards. Here's a reprint of what the explanatory card (one of the many cards contained in the packaging) says: "About the Work -- 1963. As part of an ongoing experiment, Drs. Frederick Benson and Walter Hicks conducted a series of probes on various perturbed individuals. Young men and women were placed under devices worn in contact with their ears, through which electric radio signals were converted into audible frequencies in the approximate range between 15 and 25,000 cycles per second, to each of the patients. In turn, the patients were to create pictorial depictions with the presented material (paints, crayons, markers, an apparatus consisting of a light proof enclosure, having an aperture with a shutter lens, and other namely medium), under close supervision, as an interpretation of the unique sound combinations exposed to them. The following are accounts and observations on the various experiments..." And then it lists all 16 song titles/ "patient synopses." Here is one example. "Card .6. Patient: Grace Fontaine. Track .6: biggest mess i've been in. Observations: Awakening at the dark realization of coming molten sensations, through carnal geologic fissure, due to culpability over reprehensible action." Some of the "patients" from 1963 are band members and other people listed in the credits, and the two doctors mentioned don't turn up on an Internet search, so this is indeed all a deliciously elaborate stunt, done in the name of creating a concept album. And if you would really prefer to hear a concept album about a space alien coming to earth and forming a band, well ... that's up to you. There is a massive recurring theme of religion, in terms of sin, punishment, redemption, death, afterlife, and so forth. I myself do not believe in God, but not only do I not mind religious overtones in art and music, I'm often quite fascinated by them. The songs never endorse religion, and in fact seem to be indictments of the psychological burdens that the Bible places on people, and the tragic outcomes that happen to them when they feel overwhelmed by guilt. Eyes, sex, and various times of day figure prominently in the lyrics. As the title Notes Toward a Mental Breakdown suggests, the songs progress from depressing to unbelievably depressing to homicidally, suicidally depressing. But listener is left with a cleansed, optimistic feeling rather than wrist-slashing urges. (I am, at least. I can't vouch for how others will interpret it). Although the album must be heard in its vast entirety to be believed, I'll try to do the impossible task of tackling each song for you here.....].................................................. ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ......................................[review of SWIVEL STICK's live performance at a JOY DIVISION tribute show in november 2001 in the Broward New Times]"...At least one act used the original songs as a springboard into a totally new realm: Swivel Stick went straight to the skronky heart of avant-jazz. With a bass/drums/guitar lineup using Marcus Ware's squealing saxophone to replace Curtis' somnolent voice, the band's versions of "The Eternal" and "Decades" were completely unrecognizable. "We wanted to do our own tribute to them rather than try to re-create what they were doing," says guitarist Carl Ferrari. He acknowledges that Swivel Stick's instrumental augmentations lose the lyrical impact. "They mean a lot to the person who's writing them," he states, "but to other people they're just part of the whole soundscape." ****note**** Ray Romar played tenor sax on this night, not Marcus Ware as reported by the Broward New Times....................................................... ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ...................................bands we have played with in the past (1993-2002): less than jake, hot water music, season to risk, gus, the wolfdaddy's, neurosis, braid, at the drive in, low, in-humanity, jihad, cavity, bloodlet, dynamo plaza, bluetip, kreamy 'lectric santa, gyrachrome, shift, subliminal criminal, ed matus' struggle, was, griver, faller, nobuhjest, texas is the reason, garden variety, opium taylor, seven storey mountain, the mercury program..................................................... ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ............................................................ ..............................discography: i'll be alright 7" (tuesday morning records - 1994) - split 7" w/hot water music :swivelstickside: another black cloud/hotwatermusicside: practice in blue (tuesday morning records - 1995) - songs of honest hate e.p. (cassette only release- tuesday morning records - 1995) - space cadette records 1995 compilation :swivelsticksong: the biggest mess (space cadette records 1995) - notes towards a mental breakdown (space cadette records - 1996) - remembrance of things past (released as tapeworm sessions - 1997) - street miami magazine cd compilation :swivelsticksong: troubadour son (street miami magazine 2001)